Hello everyone,
Do you find that you can get all you knitting supplies cheaper at a chain store (AC Moore, Michaels…) or at you LYS.
I’m a beginner so i need everything considering i have nothing :roflhard:,so i would like to do so saving as much as possible.
Thanks in advance,
Millie
Chain stores have it all cheaper, however they don’t carry any higher end products and it’s always good to support your local LYS so they stay in business. That said, when you’re learning I’d go for the less expensive stuff anyway.
They carry different types of products is the basic difference, though yes, they’re generally less expensive at a craft store. I’d start there, then when you want to move on to other types of patterns and yarn, check out what your LYS has. All you really need to get started is some yarn and needles which shouldn’t be more than $10, if that, especially if you use coupons and look at what’s on sale.
Thanks guys!
Off to the store i go :woohoo:. Can’t wait to get started. Thanks again.
Millie
I like metal needles (i especially like the new susan bates Velocity needles) --and with 40% off coupons, i often buy needles at Big Box Craft stores.
In my area these stores also sell Clover bamboo needles --not every size, or every length (circ’s) or every style (they have a small selection of DPN’s–but i get what i can at the discount.
same goes for stitch markers, chiba needles, knitting bags, and lot of other accessories.
for Yarn–well the selection (of yarns i want) is smaller–so–i can (and do!) buy some sock yarn (Paton’s kroy, and Patons stretch, and the new Coats & Clarks Heart & Sole (75% wool/25%nylon) but when i want Linen, or Hemp, or well lots of other yarns… i go to the YS. --or i go on line, (or to a yarn & sheep festival…or…)
I don’t use a lot of synthetics… (i use more when i was knitting for kiddies… but nowdays for grandchilden, i use machine washable wools) and while big box stores have better selection (than they did just a few years ago!) LYS are better for yarns…
Yes I agree the chain stores are cheaper. Joann Fabrics amazingly has a better selection of needles then Michaels if you ask me. Department stores suck so unless you want uber cheap yarn don’t go there.
I like the metal needles too but the boyle ones suck (they frickin bent when I was trying to do some mittens). My favs are my $20 Addi Turbos but I had to go to the LYS to get them.
I cheat by getting the non synthetic, I unravel lots and lots of sweaters
Are those my only options? I buy nearly all of my knitting stuff online. I don’t have an LYS and I LOVE KnitPicks needles and GOOD yarn. For KnitPicks, there’s an add on this page (I think). For yarn, there are LOTS of good yarn stores. I use Webs, LittleKnits, JimmyBeansWool and others. I always check Ravelry to see what others think of the yarns I order and to get pattern ideas.
If you’re just getting your stuff together and you really wanna go cheap, I’d say wally world. Wal-mart is good to stuff to practice with. But if you want more selection, deffinitely go to like hobby lobby, michaels, ect. My lys is 30 miles away, and I just found out it exsisted like yesterday lol. So I don’t have a comment about that yet.
Yes, everyone here has it right. No need to spend big bucks for basic supplies.
I’ve always done what I call “Depression Era” knitting. After all, once you buy that pair or set of needles… they’re yours forever. And they don’t wear out, usually.
And yarn has lasted me just as long when it comes from WallyMart and is just as colorful and functional as really pricey stuff. (And I have the blue ribbons and 30-year-old sweaters to prove it.)
I know this isn’t what the LYSs want to hear. But really, knitting, crocheting, tatting - most crafting in fact, doesn’t need to be any more expensive than you are ready for.
Hope this helps,
Dot
My lys has amazing sales so I tend to go there. I don’t really live near any major craft stores. When I visit family in the midwest, I hit every Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Joann’s I can find. Wal-Mart isn’t bad either. I’ve only found one near my parents’ house that carries knitting supplies (it’s a Super Wal-Mart). I’ve bought yarn for under $2 and metal needles for under $3. It’s a great place to pick up supplies if you’re on a budget. I also pick up some cheap needles when I’m at Wal-Mart in case I have friends that want to learn how to knit. I don’t care if they never return needles that I got for a couple of dollars.
You might want to sign up for different mailings lists. I signed up for Joann’s mailing list http://www.joann.com. I get coupons pretty much every week.
Good luck w/your knitting!
Everyone has their own opinion but I think when you’re starting out you should buy what you can afford. If you really take to knitting and love it as much as the rest of us do, then you will slowly upgrade some of those supplies as needed.
I totally agree with supporting your local LYS but again I feel you should stay within your own budget. Look for the sales and shop around if necessary.
Good luck and have fun with it wherever you shop.:balloons:
I agree. Walmart is the only chain store in my area, and they don’t have much anymore. But they do have som soft acrylic. If I’m looking for really nice yarn, however, I always go to a LYS, either mine, or one elsewhere. We really need to keep them in business. There is always online, too, but when you’re just starting, it helps to put your hands on the yarn, I think.
As everyone else has said, the Big Box Stores are definitely cheaper. I have personally found, though, that the ones in my area just do not carry what I need. I am working hard to learn how to knit socks, but the Michael’s down the street from my house doesn’t carry tiny-sized circulars and their selection of double-pointed-needles is pretty limited, too.
I almost always go to my LYS, as there are several in the area where I live. If I were to ever move to a place where I didn’t have an LYS nearby, I would probably buy online.
I have only been knitting for 3 months. I am also in the process of paying down my credit card debt because of the state of the economy. I don’t want to be “caught” in any kind of bad situation, just in case. So, I have had to be frugle with my spending while I learn. Still, I have been able to go for quality over quantity. If you are thinking about a particular brand of yarn or looking for a certain size/kind of needle, I would ask around before buying and then make an investment. Just as an example: I struggled for several weeks about buying Knit Picks circular needles in small sizes to make socks, or to buy Addi Turbos. Both had their pros and cons, but the big difference is that the Knit Picks are pretty inexpensive (I think about $4.50/pair) and the Addi Turbos are kind of pricy (about $13/pair). For such tiny needles (size 0, 1, and 2) that seemed like a lot to me! But I thought it over and read what everyone said about both and decided that they were very close in quality. I ended up going with the Addi Turbos, simply because I bought one pair at a time over several weeks and viewed them as an investment. I’m not sorry that I did.
It’s true the chain stores may not have a lot of different sizes and types of needles, but they generally have the basic sizes from size 7 to 10.5, which is good for a beginner to get started with.
For the most part, I like to order online. Better prices, and my LYS really jacks up the prices of yarn and notions.
And I also check at Ravelry to see what others think of a yarn.
As there is no LYS where I live I buy a great deal of my stuff off the net. I’ve compared those prices with various LYS and chain stores in my travels and find that most of the time buying off the net is cheaper.